The Black Embodiments Studio is an arts writing incubator and public programming initiative dedicated to building discourse around contemporary black art.
About The Black Embodiments Studio
We began in Seattle, WA in 2017 with the goal of cultivating rich, complex discourse around contemporary Black art and artists. Through our Arts Writing Incubator we provide people a structure of support to develop and workshop their own writing on contemporary black art. They get the opportunity to publish in the annual BES journal, A Year in Black Art, and they gain tools to publish in regional and national arts writing outlets.
Our Public Programming invites Black artists, curators, and writers to be in conversation and collaboration with one another. We’re focused on creative alliances meant to build sustainable peer-support networks, commissioning new work from artists and writers, and developing ethical public programming practices that do not exploit their labor.
Over the years, The Black Embodiments Studio has received support from the University of Washington and the Ruth Foundation for the Arts.
Founder + Director
Kemi
Adeyemi
The Black Embodiments Studio is founded and directed by Dr. Kemi Adeyemi, Associate Professor of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. Her writing research, and teaching use performance as a site and methodology for examining the contours of black queer life—her book Feels Right: Black Queer Women and the Politics of Partying in Chicago is out with Duke University Press.
Kemi thinks with and writes about black artists on the regular, inluding, most recently, Nikkita Gale, Will Rawls, Pol Taburet, and Katherine Simóne Reynolds.
Program Director
Lauren
Jackson Harris
Lauren Jackson Harris is an independent curator, fine art management professional, and project manager from Atlanta, GA. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design and Art History from Howard University and her MA in Creative Leadership from SCAD. In 2019, she co-founded Black Women in Visual Art, an organization that connects, cultivates, and serves Black women arts professionals. With BWVA, Harris builds partnerships and develops programs that create further visibility and opportunity for Black women in art.
As an independent arts worker over the last ten years, Harris has curated exhibitions and art experiences with organizations and art spaces such as For Freedoms, Facebook, MINT Gallery, Day & Night Gallery, The Gathering Spot, Stay Home Gallery, Living Walls, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and more. Harris also serves as the Co-Chair for the Beltline Public Art Advisory Council, as a Board member for Tessera Arts Collective, and is an active fine art advocate consulting with artists on their practice and career-based opportunities.
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We love what we do and we love when you want to chip in. Your donations allow BES to continue to create networks where artists and arts writers can thrive.